HAVE YOU GOT A BUTTERFLY BRAIN?

Are you constantly checking emails, scanning Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? Today’s busy lifestyles and numerous communication channels means we’re always flitting from one thing to the next – it’s little wonder that our minds struggle to keep up as we continuously expect ourselves to be on top of a million things.

Did you know that our short term memory can only process three to four bits of information at any time and when we overload it with too much information; our capacity to process it all begins to fail? So whilst we are all spinning too many plates at once and trying to keep up with them all, we do need to take a moment out every now and again so we can realise when we are juggling too much. After all our brains need time to relax in order to sift through and store information, so give your mind a break by taking a moment out.

Neil Shah, Stress Management Society has some top tips on how to keep on track of your juggling act, while remaining calm and focussed:

1) Wake up and breathe – it might sound fluffy, but deep breathing works wonders on relaxing your mind and helps create a moment of calm.

2) Take a 5 minute holiday - a simple visualisation technique to imagine you at your favourite holiday destination utilising all of your senses. Maybe you are lying on a beach, feel the sand under your toes and the sun on your face, hear the waves crashing on the shore and the leaves gently rustling in the breeze, see the bright blue sky and smell the pineapples as you taste that Pina Colada in your mouth.

3) Practice Progressive muscle relaxation - tense and release all the muscles in your body in sequence and feel the relaxation growing each time you release the tension.

4) Do something you love everyday – whether it is taking the dog out, cuddling a loved one, reading, gardening or having a bubble bath, aim to do one thing you love each day for at least 15 minutes.

5) Spend time alone – it is so important to have some space and be alone with your thoughts. Enjoy the silence!

6) Listen to music – this is a great way to detach and forget about what is happening. Put some music on and ’just forget the world’.

7) Switch off an hour before going to sleep – research shows that using technology before bed is very disturbing to the brain and it affects the quality of sleep. Switch off an hour before bed and let your brain slowly relax.

8) End the day with a 1 minute meditation - aim to spend 1 minute in complete silence and clear the mind. Rather than trying to eliminate any thoughts, let them pass through and let your mind wonder to wherever it needs to go.

When your day seems a little too much to handle stop and take a moment with RESCUE® by your side. For more information, go to www.rescueremedy.co.uk.